A bevy of activity – likely hastened by one of our more brisk days of the season -- revealed a room full of Marylanders – each with their coalition buttons, gathered at their tables in the public lounge – busily strategizing and fine-tuning last minute details for the day’s meetings. It was great walking through the hallways where our elected officials meet to make our laws. What was even more wonderful was that on Antibiotics Lobby Day - January 20th – a gaggle of ordinary Marylanders made their way to these lawmakers to share issues and concerns about why taking action to keep antibiotics working was important to them. The reception from the Delegates, Senators, and their staffers felt genuine and welcoming: They asked pointed questions about how over-use of antibiotics in farm animals affects population health and listened as each of us gave our own personal reasons for being there! Some gave a definite ‘Yes’ to co-sponsoring the bill; those who were a bit more cautious and reluctant to commit on the spot remained engaged and quite diplomatically (I must say!) shared their concerns. Our team leaders provided detailed, on-the-spot responses as pens floated across yellow pads. Presenting our ‘Thank You!’ plaque to Senator Joan Carter Conway, Chair of the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee, was like walking into the living room of an old friend.
Everyone was invited to an ‘antibiotics-free lunch’ (courtesy of Panera Bread) as one of our champions, Delegate Kumar Barve, Chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee, presented solid rationale for how and why ‘little’ Maryland can be the next big leader in addressing this critical public health issue. The consensus was that our first lobby day signaled the start of a progression of citizens who are impassioned about this issue: Help us keep the momentum going! If you missed the activity on the 20th, be sure to check out the Maryland Campaign to Keep Antibiotics Working website for upcoming events, tell your legislators to vote in favor of the antibiotics bill and contact us if you’d like to learn more!
Maggie Davenport
Maryland Sierra Club
Antibiotics Issue Lead
Maggie.Davenport@mdsierra.org